Burning Down the Mountain
Chapter 2: Captured
In the month immediately following Shuuhei's failed raid on the mountain bandits, the raids on the caravans arriving and departing from Katakura suddenly stopped. It was as if the bandits had disappeared. With the raids on the caravans all but stopped business began to thrive in Katakura once again. Merchants and business men alike praised Shuuhei and said his death must have brought about good fortune to Katakura.
Shiro was disgusted by the notion their brother's untimely death had brought on such fortune. He was still seething his father had not tried harder to get his body back. He growled as he remembered the messenger's return from the woods with the message Shuuhei's body would not be returned. He balled his fingers into a fist and punched a wall causing the stone to tremble under his knuckles. The sound of his mother's cries still ringing in his ears, a month later and she was still mourning their brother. Shiro clenched his teeth. He had had enough of their indecision and weakness. He would go do something about these bandits himself.
Shiro grabbed a plain tattered satchel from the kitchen and began to fill it with a few apples and dried meat. He grabbed a water pouch and an ale pouch throwing them into the bag. He then made his way to exit the kitchen pausing when he ran into his father's chief aid, Council man Hanaka.
"Where is the wayward son off to?" The old man asked looking at the white haired teen. "You should be at your warfare lessons along with Ichigo." He chided taking note of Shiro's filled satchel.
"I don't need your permission to go for a ride in the pastures." He informed Hanaka as he turned to leave out another door towards the stables. He really hated that old goat.
Hanaka watched Shiro go licking his lips one day he would put that boy in his place. Oh yes… He thought. He would put Shiro right in his place.
Shiro made a stop at his brother's quarters. No one had been inside Shuuhei's chambers since he'd left that faithful day a month ago. He slowly opened the heavy wooden door pushing it open and stepped inside.
The room was modest. A chest of drawers sat against a far wall were Shiro kept his training and everyday clothes. Beside the chest was an armory closet were his brother kept his swords and other battle blades. Against another wall was Shuuhei's bed covered in blanket's and furs. It lay neatly folded as if waiting his brother's inevitable return. Shiro walked over the bear skin carpet before Shuuhei's bed as he made his way to the armory closet. He slowly reached out and moved to open the door. Just as his hands touched the handle of the closet, the door to the room slammed shut.
"I KNEW IT!" Ichigo shouted looking at his younger brother with a pointed stare.
Shiro whipped around hand on his chest trying to steady himself. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" He shouted back at his brother. "ARE YOU TRYING TO PUT ME INTO AN EARLY GRAVE?!"
"You seem to be doing a good enough job of that yourself. What are you doing in here?" Ichigo asked walking over to the armory closet. "You told Hanaka said you were going for a ride in the pasture since when does that require aniki's battle weapons."
"I'd rather be safe than sorry?" He tried with a halfhearted shrug.
Ichigo gave him a deadpanned expression. "You're going after the mountain bandits aren't you?"
Shiro waited a moment before nodding.
Ichigo punched him in the arm. "Are you crazy?" His eyes searching in the others for some hint of a joke.
"Someone has to avenge Aniki. Its obvious father isn't going to do anything." Shiro replied pushing the other away. "Stay here and take care of Mother." He said quickly grabbing a blade from Shuuhei's personal armory and fleeing the room.
Ichigo turned and ran after him out of the room.
Shiro raced out of the barn on the back of his jet black horse, Kurogetsuga. He quickly broke off the forest path were he had heard rumors the mountain bandits had been last seen trying hard to ignore the sound of hooves behind him.
"Damn it Shiro!" Ichigo shouted as he pushed Zangetsu to match Kurogetsuga. Zangetsu's hooves thundered down the path as Kurogetsuga came into view. "SHIRO! STOP!" Ichigo shouted as he pushed Zangetsu harder to catch up.
Shiro sighed realizing his brother would run Zangetsu into the ground, eased up on Kurogetsuga and the horse began to slow coming to a slow trot allowing the rust colored stallion to catch up.
Shiro turned to his older brother. "Do you intend to accompany me? If not go home." Shiro turned as he looked around the clearing.
"Shiro this is stupid. Let's go home and discuss this with father." Ichigo was trying hard to be the voice of reason. He knew Shuuhei would kill them if he had ever thought Shiro would do something like this. "Aniki did not think we were ready a month ago nothing has changed since then. Let's go back."
The two boys continued bickering unaware their little race and the concluding argument had caught the attention of a particular group of bandits.
A tall lanky man with straight jet black hair stared at Shiro through a telescope. "My my, he does look tasty…" he said licking his lips as his mouth fell into a smile displaying all his teeth. "Let's round them up and have some fun before we take them back to the others." He advised his men.
The tall man mounted his horse and they moved to make their decent. The other three did not notice when their fourth member took off in another direction.
Shiro and Ichigo ceased arguing and turned at the sound of approaching horses. Shiro was about to lay into Ichigo about having them followed by the royal guard when he got quiet. A large man with an eye patch and long black hair walked his horse into the clearing.
"What are two fine boys such as yourself doing up here in the mountains?" He asked as he walked his horse closer to Kurogetsuga. The horse let out a disgruntled warning sound and stomped it's foot.
"We're out for a ride." Ichigo replied pulling the man's attention from Shiro for a moment.
"My you are both much fairer up close." He praised.
Shiro's hand's tightened on Kurogetsuga's reigns. He turned to his brother to give a nonverbal signal.
"Now now, you boys just got here running off would be rather rude." Another man said as he and another horseman came out effectively surrounding the teens.
Shiro looked at the three men sizing them up.
The tall lanky man rode up to Shiro and grabbed his face rather roughly.
Shiro retorted by clicking his teeth causing Kurogetsuga to rear up and kicked at the other man's horse causing him to move away.
The tall man retorted by moving his horse closer to Shiro and grabbing him throwing him off the horse and to the ground. "My my you are a feisty one." He smiled revealing a whole row of teeth. "I do indeed enjoy when they struggle." He said dismounting his horse and coming over to kick Shiro in the chest when the boy tried to get up. "I think you need to learn your place." He mused grabbing Shiro by the hair.
"Back off!" Ichigo shouted as he attempted to move Zangetsu forward only to be pushed by the other two men. "Get out of my way."
"Hey Nnoitra when you're done with him let us have a turn." One of the men said as they held Ichigo at bay while Nnoitra revealed a knife to cut away at Shiro's clothes.
"Yeah yeah." Nnoitra replied as he punched Shiro when the teen continued to fight back.
Shiro was dazed for a moment but he had been taught some hand to hand combat by Shuuhei. He used Nnoitra 's own momentum against him grabbing his attacker's shirt and pulling him forward into a head butt. Shiro slammed his forehead into Nnoitra 's face causing blood to spew forth.
"YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Nnoitra shouted one hand going to his face while the other balled into a fist aimed at Shiro.
Shiro was in a daze from head butting the other male. He placed one hand on his head unaware of the impending beating.
"Getting your ass kicked by a child? Honestly Nnoitra ," A voice chided as three new horsemen came into view. "I sent you to collect firewood and yet here you are fighting with some child and from the looks of it losing." The lead horseman on a white stallion said with a tsk. A tanned hand brushed through striking choppy blue hair as cerulean eyes took in the scene before him.
The other two man had let go of Ichigo. The teen dismounted his horse to check on his brother.
Shiro was still a bit dazed but was coming back to himself. His golden eyes did not leave the others face.
"It's not like that." Nnoitra snapped at the new comer. "Grim it's not like that at all!"
"You're going to get blood on Panthera." The bluenet complained dismissively, "Head back to camp and get that tended to." He waved a hand dismissively. "I will deal with these intruders."
Nnoitra grumbled as he and his companions rode off into the wilderness.
Grim turned his attention from the boys to his two companions. "Orange hair that reflects like the sun, I bet that boy's the Chieftain's heir." He turned back to the boys on the ground. "You will be coming with me." He informed them as the other two man went to tie Zangetsu and Kurogetsuga's reigns to their horses saddles.
Ichigo made Shiro go along quietly. They could work on an escape plan later.
Chapter 2: Captured End
TBC
Thanks for reading Chapter 2 of Burning Down the Mountain. It seems Shiro has gotten both Ichigo and himself in hot water.
Lokivsanubis